This September 11th marked the 20th anniversary of a tragic day in United States history. It has been two decades since America was attacked by terrorists linked to the extremist group Al Qaeda. 

Four airplanes were hijacked, two of which flew into the World Trade Center’s twin towers in New York. Outside of Washington D.C., another plane was flown into the Pentagon. The last one crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania in a field. There were around 3,000 lives lost that day. 

The events of 9/11 affected many people’s lives, even if they weren’t directly involved in the attack. Some of our own teachers gave their thoughts on the day.

Brandon Barger was at his first teaching position at Resurrection Catholic School. 

“We definitely had the news on,” Barger said. “Everyone was glued to the television.” 

Barger said he had felt helpless watching the events unfold. 

“Our natural instinct is to help in any way possible, and we couldn’t,” said Barger. “We just had to watch and see so many people suffer. When I went to the memorial a couple of years ago, it really made my gut feel that feeling again of helplessness.” 

Barger did not personally know anyone in the attacks, however, the day left a lasting impact.

Emily Tilton, a science teacher at RHHS, was only in the second grade when the event occurred. 

“I remember my teacher turning the classroom TV on and watching the twin towers fall,” said Tilton. “I was too young to understand the impact of what was happening but I knew it was really bad for my teacher to stop class.” 

Tilton also did not know anyone involved in the attacks, though the events of 9/11 influenced her. 

“I have been impacted by the patriotism that has lit up the country since those attacks occured,” Tilton said. “I have often thought about the massive amount of families that were torn apart that day. I think of how life is dictated by small choices leading to big moments. I wonder how the people that nearly missed death that day are living their lives now. Did it make them change their priorities? Did they just continue on?” 

These are probably questions that many have thought about in the time after 9/11, even now after two decades. There are currently numerous stories of people who were directly affected by the attacks, or had near death experiences revolving around them. 

These people and many others continue to show their patriotism by remembering those who did pass on that day. Whether it be through social media, going to visit the memorial, or another way, America honors those who lost their lives on 9/11 to this day.